Hello Knox,
As a reminder, Knox data comes from the Knox Together Page, and these numbers include both staff and students. Data for the State of Illinois and Knox Country comes from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
The State of Illinois has changed their Covid-19 reporting tactics and are no longer reporting tests performed, only how many cases there are. This means that I can no longer provide test positivity numbers. Most tests are done at home now, meaning they are not reported regardless. This means that numbers are likely higher than reported.
Knox has also slowed down in their reporting of Covid-19 numbers, posting the results almost a week late.
April 11 – 15
This week, Knox performed 85 Covid-19 tests. Of those, 1 was positive. The campus grapevine has been reporting a recent uptick in cases. While the testing numbers to prove or disprove this have not yet been released, caution is advised.
The results for last week (4/18-4/22) were released late. Knox did 127 Covid-19 tests on campus and 5 of them were positive. 3 people are in isolation on campus.
Galesburg had 50 reported Covid cases in the last week, considerably up from the week before.
Knox County reported 49 cases last week, also an increase.
The State of Illinois reported that the case rates are up from 141 per 100k to 173 per 100k.
These numbers imply that cases are rising locally and in the state.
Professors’ Opinions
The TKS staff surveyed a few professors about their thoughts on the lifted mask mandates and if they had any concerns or challenges, here are their responses.
Nathalie Haurberg, Associate Professor of Physics: “I don’t have any really strong feelings concerning the new covid policy concerning masking. It seems like the appropriate time to lift some of the masking requirements and I’m overall comfortable with the basic policy. However, I do feel it is awkward to have faculty each deciding and enforcing their own individual rules.”
Kathleen Ridlon, Assistant Professor of Dance: “Not at All. I will work with my class to form consensus.”
Gregory Gilbert, Professor of Art and Director of the Art History Program: “It was difficult thinking through the best approach to the policy. I did waver on whether I should continue requiring masks or follow the recent college guidelines. As announced in class, I thought it best to follow institutional policy to lift the mask mandate on campus. However, as I stressed, I certainly endorse the concern of any student to continue wearing a mask to insure personal health. I am still concerned about any students who do have trepidations about public health issues in relation to COVID and if they have any underlying medical conditions. I think negotiating those individual student concerns will be challenging for the college and for faculty.”
Editor’s Note:
It’s April 28th and I tested positive for covid this morning. I am editing this article from the isolation dorm, where there are at least 6 others; the grapevine appears to be right. As Eleanor said, please note that the numbers on the Knox together page are often outdated, as the college has stripped back the rigor/timeliness of its testing and reporting in recent months. I’ve had several friends either contract covid or a severe cold in the last week—the spike is no joke. Please keep this in mind when making decisions about masking indoors and getting tested.
—Eleanor Wilhelmi, TKS Copy Editor
